Maybe it’s because he’s used to reclamation projects or perhaps it’s genetics.
Maybe it’s because he’s used to reclamation projects or perhaps it’s genetics.
Gene Krieger’s wife does joke that he’s a bit of a ham bone, after all.
Whatever the case, UH-Hilo’s first-year coach said he has a way of being able to grin and bear unsightly outcomes on the volleyball court.
“I have a tendency to grimace and people think the grimace is a smile,” Krieger said. “People ask me why I’m always smiling, but you can’t tell my smile my grimace.”
That’s not to say the 60-year-old coach expects to be masking too much pain this season, though the ability could come in handy after taking the reins of a program that is coming off five consecutive losing seasons and said goodbye to the bulk of its production from 2016.
Whether Krieger is smiling, frowning, beaming or sneering, make no mistake, senior Siera Green said, the Vulcans have undergone more than just a culture change.
“It’s been more professional, almost,” Green said. “It feels a lot more serious. More time commitment from everybody.”
Krieger has tweaked some facets of how the returning Vulcans are used to conducting their business on the court, while overhauling much of the system. Gone are the high passes and high sets favored by Tino Reyes — who was forced to resign after seven seasons. Krieger favors shorter passes, quicker sets and faster tempo.
“Nothing higher than the antenna,” he said.
Green said the program has been turned upside down, but not necessarily in terms of good and bad.
“In practice, we had to change the way we passed and we all changed the aim for the ball on our arms,” she said. “The setter had to adjust, the hits are lot faster and tighter. He didn’t skip anything.
“We had to forget what we learned and be open to learning new things. I think the system is going to help us win games.”
The Vul Mr. Fix-It doesn’t mention the term rebuilding, but he’s patient because this is only his latest attempt to revive a program.
Most recently, he coached at Division II Anderson University, guiding the school in South Carolina to a 30-30 record, with an eight-win improvement in Year 2. Prior to that, he was 22-37 during a two-year reign at Northwestern Oklahoma State, though in his second-season the team improved its win total by 12.
“This is a two-year plan in my mind,” he said. “Let’s get as close-knit as we can and (recruit) one to two girls next year and really start to grow the program.”
The returnees are Green and junior libero Mina Grant. Green is ready for anything, whether that means carrying the load at outside hitter or — preferably — sharing the bulk of the swings with one or two players.
Getting junior Basia Sauni to transfer to UH-Hilo was “a feather in our cap,” Krieger said. A graduate of Kahuku High on Oahu, Sauni was a second-team All-American setter at Scottsdale CC last season. Her former Scottsdale teammate, junior Kiley Davis, is also on board and in the mix at middle blocker along with true freshman Ashton Jessee of Alaska.
The biggest addition at outside hitter was junior Lucee Fitzgerald, formerly of Irvine Valley (Calif.) college.
“It’s good to have a leader that has been there and done that,” Krieger said.
Freshman Amber Tai, a Kailua High (Oahu) graduate, will get swings behind Green and Fitzgerald, and another freshman penciled in for playing time is another Kahuku graduate, setter Sha Rae Niu.
Krieger envisions getting eight to nine players into a competitive match. Also battling for time are junior middle hitter Katrina Johnson, a returning Vul, and junior hitter/blocker Randi Hunter, a transfer from Prairie View A&M in Texas.
“I think (Basia) is going to be a great tool for the whole team and keep everybody together,” Green said. “I think once we get everybody playing together, we’re really going to click and be really good.”
Krieger certainly did more smiling than grimacing Tuesday as UH-Hilo opened its season with a three-set win at Holy Names to begin a spurt of six matches in five days, including a stop at the PacWest-GNAC-CCAA crossover in San Francisco.
In all, the Vulcans play eight matches away from home before greeting Academy of Art on Sept. 22 at their gym.
“By the time we get home, we should know what we’re doing,” Krieger said.